Development Of Higher Education In Africa Research Articles

The Multiple Waves of the African Academic Diaspora’s Engagement with African Universities

This article analyses the various historical phases in the evolution of theAfrican academic diaspora’s engagement to support the development ofhigher education in Africa. It examines the drivers and motivation for suchengagement and its implications for higher education development onthe continent. The data were derived from a critical review of secondarysources, supplemented by primary observations by one of the authors whois engaged in a programme that supports diaspora academics to travel toAfrican universities for engagement, as part of the third wave. The analysisof the secondary material shows that while the first wave of engagement wasdriven by a strong sense of Pan-Africanism at the global level and laid thefoundation for the establishment of universities across the continent, thesecond wave became trapped in Cold War rivalries that limited engagementand drove more academics from African universities into exile, mainly inEurope and North America, thus swelling the ranks of diaspora academics.The third wave has been caught up in a similar situation. While the forcesof globalisation and internationalisation that are driving this wave ofdiaspora engagement have the potential to support African universities toachieve international standards, they can equally undermine and mute thedesire for higher education decolonisation. The article recommends thatAfrican countries and higher education institutions should play a centralrole in designing the broad policy context that drives engagement and thatthe activities undertaken by African diaspora academics should align withnational higher education priorities.

Coloniality of knowledge, hybridisation, and indigenous survival: exploring transnational higher education development in Africa from the 1920s to the 1960s

This historical multi-case study uses the concepts of coloniality of knowledge, critical hybridity, and indigeneity in examining higher education development in Africa through the efforts of Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, two educational reformers and former international students in the USA. We develop a framework for examining how transnational interactions between the Global North and the Global South shape higher education development. Implications are presented for the importance of flexible theoretical understandings of transnational higher education interactions as well as higher education practices in international student and scholar exchange and other transnational higher education engagement.

Offerings of Women in the Transformation of African Higher Education: A Retrospective Overview

This article presents an unusual concrete insight to African higher education transformation. The purpose is to examine the roles of African women mainly Charlotte Maxeke, a South African, in the transformation of higher education and to identify the legacy these transformation offerings translate into for women. It is organized as follows: first, the origin of transformation in higher education systems to global massification of education in the background section is traced. Second, in an attempt to understand as a means of examining the roles of women in the transformation of higher education, existing literature as evidence is engaged. Two crucial issues—challenges for African higher education transformation and women’s role in higher education development in Africa—were reviewed analytically toward transformation of higher education. Third, empowerment theory, as suitable theory for the reasonable accomplishment of the purpose of this article, is presented. Last, the theory was applied to the discussions justifying the conclusion. The methodology used is both descriptive and exploratory. The article divulges that women had always being fanatical about empowerment of themselves and others because women had at some points in history contributed to developmental alterations of African higher education given their enormous offerings or contributions. Obviously, as revealed in this article, while risking their lives in an Apartheid/colonial regime where death could visit anyone who opposes the government at any time, their offerings or roles include financial commitment; empowerment advocacy and knowledge enchanting.

A case for private sector participation in higher education development in Africa with specific reference to recovery in a globalized economy

This paper notes that while globalization is presenting opportunities for economic growth and development, it is also presenting constraints against the same. Subsequently, the authors argue, there is need to develop (through higher education) the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to harness the opportunities globalization is offering whilst avoiding the challenges that it is posing. However, in Africa, the reach and effectiveness of the public education system are limited in various ways. Therefore, the authors recommend increased involvement of the private sector in the higher education sector as a panacea for dealing with some of the gaps in public higher education. Keywords: Privatization, Globalization, Economic recovery

Partnerships in Africa in the New Era of Internationalization

African universities have a range of cooperative arrangements with academic organizations and governments in many countries. This article discusses the various linkages that have contributed to higher education development in Africa.